I Bashed White Sox Dave For Requesting Bad Songs From A Band At A Nashville Bar- Who Was In The Right?

So we’ve been in Nashville acting like we’re in college again since Sunday. I’m leaving tomorrow and cannot wait. This place is like Las Vegas but with no gambling, no slow nights, and fewer hookers.

I don’t know how people move here and function. It’s incredible. #respect

That said, we found ourselves on Broadway last night because the brand new Barstool Bar had their extremely successful opening weekend and was close for the day. It worked out because our guy Danny has never been to Nashville before, and Dave had never been to a few of the bigger bars so we ventured out for the night.

Things took a turn for the best because unbeknownst to any of us, Glenny Balls is apparently the mayor of Nashville. He doesn't wait in lines. He is best friends with everyone. So we entered a bar through the side entrance and found ourselves in “The Cadillac Pussy Lounge”.

That’s Bob Richie, aka Kid Rock’s private table at his bar on Broadway. The area is situated right next to the stage (stage left), with exposed windows on Broadway.

I’ve ridden a lot of coattails in my day to some incredible places I don’t belong, but this may have been the pinnacle. All thanks to Balls. Who would have thought?

The night was going SWIMMINGLY. The place was fucking slammed. We had an incredible personal server for our section. The light jockey Ben came over and was letting us fuck with and run the light program. And best of all, the band was fucking KILLING it.

There are so many bands fighting for stage time on Broadway that the bars literally don’t have to pay them. There’s a system here they call “pass the bucket” where bands play for free, and pass around a 5 gallon bucket to the crowd for tips. 

Over the last few years they’ve gotten smart and started posting QR codes for their Venmo, hiring smokeshows to walk around with the bucket to shake down patrons, and best of all, auctioning off song requests for money. Genius.

Which takes us to last night.

The band reached the part in their set where the crowd was mangled, and they started soliciting requests. There was a list they held off stage with money amounts chipped in. (IE- “Friends In Low Places” is a $100 dollar song no matter what bar you go to) 

People can either pay the full price and hear their song then and there, or chip in towards the price and hear it when “the cost hits”.

Then there are guys like White Sox Dave.

My whole issue last night, and I fully understand how this comes off to people who have never been hassled by people who have no clue what they’re doing on how to do their job, was Dave asking for songs the band admittedly had no clue about.

He wasn’t asking for “Living On A Prayer” or “Mr. Brightside”.

He requested fucking HANSON, from a band that looked like their combined age was 70. He followed that up with “Loveshack”. The #1 song on wedding couples “do not play” lists. For a reason.

He tipped them $100, so they played it. And it brought the place to a screeching halt. 

The trolls that run social media here will have you believe (because Gaz trained them all well), that I was bitching about him requesting songs in general.

Which is patently FALSE.

I was bitching about him holding up their performance, calling them over to side stage to show them songs on his phone, discuss why they didn’t know how to play them, shame them, hold up the show more, and then ask for another song.

I was telling him to let them do their job. Which in hindsight may be an overreaction be me, if that’s the case, I fully own it. Tell me I’m in the wrong and I’ll wear it. 

Here’s Dave requests lists (and the outrageous amount of money he sent them for these terrible requests)

But Chief about 20 minutes later randomly shouted out, “Unwritten” when the (hot) singer asked what they should play next and she lost her mind. She said in all her years on Broadway nobody had ever requested that, checked with her band that they knew the key and how to play it, and then ripped it. 

That’s how a making a request is made.

At least I thought so. 

Dave thinks if he's paying for it, anything goes. I think there's a proper way to do something and that wasn't it.

If I’m wrong I’ll apologize to Dave by chaining myself to the Harry Carey statue that used to be outside Wrigley that they moved in front of a 711 to make room for a laser tag center. You have my word. 

Ps- we’re still best buds- 

PS: The Barstool Bar is really awesome. Great time.